ambush
Plural: ambushes
Noun
- the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise
- The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack or kill by surprise.
- An attack launched from a concealed position.
- The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
- The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.
Verb
Verb Forms: ambushed, ambushing, ambushes
- To make a surprise attack from a concealed position.
- wait in hiding to attack
- hunt (quarry) by stalking and ambushing
- To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
- To attack by ambush; to waylay.
Examples
- She waited for me to open a triple word score, then used it to AMBUSH me with a bingo.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English enbuschen, from Old French enbuscier, anbuchier (verb) (whence Middle French embusche (noun)), from Old French en- + Vulgar Latin boscus (“wood”) (whence also bouquet), from Frankish *busk (“bush”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush, heavy stick”). Compare ambuscade. The change to am- from earlier forms in en- is unexplained. More at bush.
Synonyms
ambuscade, bushwhack, lie in wait, lurk, lying in wait, scupper, still-hunt, trap, waylay, jump
Scrabble Score: 13
ambush: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordambush: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ambush: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary